After 6

[klaiggeb]

Yeah, the Dodgers beat us twice.

That's a fact.

But what I STILL SEE is a different team this year from Captain Ego's last bunch.

Lots of fight, and lots of NEVER give up, Never surrender.

Thank you, Captain Taggert!

Too early to draw any conclusions of just how good we will be, but so far, I like what I see.

Of course, that said, I STILL see some stupid base running.

Ahmed in game one and Soler in game 1 vs LA, not to mention Conforto getting picked off.

When Cobb and Snell get into the rotation, hopefully the bullpen will improve.

But I believe we need to go out and get an 8th inning guy to set things up for Doval.

Still early. Lots of time to get that guy.

Especially when I think back to 2010 when we picked up Rameriz and Lopez down the stretch.

Important moves that helped get us into the playoffs and win the WS

[reedonly]

There are going to be a lot of teams that will lose to a team constructed like an all-star team.

I liked what I saw from Winn and Roupp. Once Melvin figures out who is trustworthy or not, they should be better.

[Islandboagie]

We've enabled the Dodgers to make us look bad, it's not just them overpowering us..

Honestly, I don't really care what happens until Matos and Luciano are starting every game, until then I'm fairly certain our GM and manager have zero clue how to make us a championship caliber team. The fact that both are in Fresno right now is just ridiculous.

[Islandboagie]

I said Fresno, I meant Sacramento

[klaiggeb]

Apr 3, 2024 19:17:13 GMT -5 reedonly said:

There are going to be a lot of teams that will lose to a team constructed like an all-star team.

I liked what I saw from Winn and Roupp. Once Melvin figures out who is trustworthy or not, they should be better.

I agree.

This first month is a try out period to see what works and what doesn't work

[klaiggeb]

Apr 3, 2024 22:49:08 GMT -5 Islandboagie said:

We've enabled the Dodgers to make us look bad, it's not just them overpowering us..

Honestly, I don't really care what happens until Matos and Luciano are starting every game, until then I'm fairly certain our GM and manager have zero clue how to make us a championship caliber team. The fact that both are in Fresno right now is just ridiculous.

I agree about f z, But not about melvin.

I cannot.
Say yaz nor ahmed sticking with the team past june

[klaiggeb]

See, not say

[klaiggeb]

Apr 4, 2024 8:34:59 GMT -5 klaiggeb said:

Apr 3, 2024 22:49:08 GMT -5 Islandboagie said:

We've enabled the Dodgers to make us look bad, it's not just them overpowering us..

Honestly, I don't really care what happens until Matos and Luciano are starting every game, until then I'm fairly certain our GM and manager have zero clue how to make us a championship caliber team. The fact that both are in Fresno right now is just ridiculous.

I agree about f z, But not about melvin.

I cannot.
Say yaz nor ahmed sticking with the team past june

No question I agree, that's it's ridiculous, boagie.

But haven't there been continuing questions about Luciano's defense for years now?

After pitcher and catcher, IMHO, THE most important defensive position on the field is SS.

Ahmed CAN play solid defense, no question.

And Fitz's blunder the other night in SD was, IMHO, unforgiveable.

Can't have that kind of crap happening in the infield, that's for sure.


Melvin may or may not have given into front office pressure to keep Ahmed and Yaz.

I'm inclined to say no, he wasn't, but I have no information.


What I can say is that I truly believe Ahmed's pathetic bat will UNhit his way off the team.

Yes, I want great defense, but we simply CANNOT have an automatic out in the lineup... and that is what he is; an automatic out, or darned close to it.

With his ridiculous mechanics, he will NOT be able to catch up with good fastballs.

Too many moving parts.

Kruk was talking about that last night with Soler. Almost NO moving, pre swing parts.



Right now, there's no place for Matos to play. At least in the eyes of management.

I see Yaz playing his way OFF the team, or at least out of the starting line up by the end of May.

Which creates sort of a problem. He goes, that leaves only Conforto and Wade from the Left side.

THOSE guys can hit.

Bailey... sheesh! I don't know how that guy ever makes contact.

I said last year, .220 hitter at BEST.

His swing looks weak and uncoordinated.

Not awkward, like Ahmed's, but uncoordinated.

Like all of the parts are not moving in sync.

Give things until the end of May to sort themselves out.

This will be a GOOD team.

Right now, we're just in a 'feel it out' period, much like when you buy a new car.

You have to 'feel' your way through to determine how everything works.

[reedonly]

Yaz has been one of my favorites the past few years with the effort and dedication to his craft but I think the wear and tear is really showing up and I would be the first to admit he and/or Slater should not have been re-signed.

[klaiggeb]

One of my favorites, too, Reed.

EVERYONE wrote the guy off in Baltimore, but he stuck with it.

Hard to believe he could have had the year he had in 2021... and then stink since.

Personally, I'm blaming Kapler for his hitting ideology.

[pachyderm]

It's really early but I can say with all confidence... we still suck.

[klaiggeb]

Apr 4, 2024 16:50:42 GMT -5 pachyderm said:

It's really early but I can say with all confidence... we still suck.

Pach, on a scale of 1 to 10, I couldn't disagree more.

Are we ready to play with the billion dollar Dodger?

Of course not.

Were we better than the Padres?

I say yes.

Many teams, and we are one of them, who are still sorting their pitching out.

Takes time.

Doesn't happen overnight.

We are LIGHT YEARS ahead of last year and the year before in talent and effort and heart.

That will show.

Harrison is NOT Bum.

Won't ever be Bum.

Right now, he's a 2 pitch, pitcher.

WHEN he learns a GOOD change up, he could be a number 2 or 3 guy.

Not before.

I loved what I saw from Winn.

Look what adding the slider did to HIS game.

He's made huge strides!


When Ahmed plays himself on to the bench, and we either trade or release Slater or Yaz and bring up Matos, we'll be even better.


And who knows, WITHOUT captain Ego's "Flail away and who cares if you whiff," hitting concept, he could return to close to what he was.

He's already very good on defense.



As I mentioned earlier. Each season is like buying a new car.

You've got to work out the kinks, break some things in and taker 'er around the block a few dozen times to figure stuff out.

The Billion Dollar Dodgers do, too. They gelled for the last bunch of years and just fill in holes with other good players.


We don't suck.

We will be very, very good.

Be patient.

[reedonly]

I think it will be contingent on whether or not they figure out lefthanded relief

[klaiggeb]

It is my opinion that it is more complicated than just left.Handed pitching from the bullpen

We need to find someone dependable.Who can bridge the late innings and get us to the closer

I don't believe tyler nor taylor is that guy

We're going to have to go out and get someone late in the season if none of what we have on hand makes the jump

When snell and cobb get back it is conceivable that winn could be that guy

[Islandboagie]

I agree with Pach, we suck, or at least we're not very good.

Not that we don't have a few guys that can possibly hit 30 hrs, and we have a decent pitching staff..

But there's no fire behind any of these guys. Nobody's running hard down the line, nobody's stretching a single into a double, or a double into a triple. I see more emotion out of our opponents on the mound when they give up one run, than our guys when they give up 3.

I look at those things when I judge our team...and I saw some of that at the end of last season when we called up the kids..it's gone now that we retooled with a bunch of veterans who's best days are likely behind them.

Sorry, that's just how I feel about this team. They're decent, but they're a .500 or slightly better team, I don't see much evidence they'll be anything more than that.

I hope they change, but I doubt they will.

[klaiggeb]

We could not disagree more.

From what I say with this team it is totally different from the last couple of years.

We are no longer chasing pitches over our heads and out of strike zones, We're having better at bats, And we are playing solid defense.

Hicks just gave us his second solid start, And matt snell is right around the corner.

You and I are usually on the same page or pretty close to it.But i'm not saying what you guys are saying

[reedonly]

I'm kind of mixed. I liked the additions of Lee, Chapman, and Hicks. Did not like adding Ahmed and Soler. Snell is maybe. It might well be addition by subtraction by getting rid of Kapler, Kai Correa, Joc, Stripling, and Wood.

[Islandboagie]

Boly- We are no longer chasing pitches over our heads and out of strike zones, We're having better at bats, And we are playing solid defense.

Boagie- Chapman struck out to end the game the other night by chasing a pitch 2 feet off the plate and in the dirt. The hitters that make up the meat of our lineup are basically all free swingers. I don't think we improved at all in the area of patience.

I do like Chapman's defense, I think that's really the only place we made a noticeable improvement on the defensive end.

But I'm going to walk my original comments back, and say it's really too early to tell if this is a good team, or not. But what I've seen so far, I'm not overally optimistic.

[Islandboagie]

Reed- I'm kind of mixed. I liked the additions of Lee, Chapman, and Hicks. Did not like adding Ahmed and Soler. Snell is maybe. It might well be addition by subtraction by getting rid of Kapler, Kai Correa, Joc, Stripling, and Wood.

Boagie- I'm with you on Hicks and Lee. Hicks has impressed me the most so far.

To me, Chapman is also a maybe. Love his defense, but his offense has dipped significantly over the last few seasons, and now he's in one of the best pitching ballparks.

I like Soler as DH, but I'd prefer him hitting a little lower in the lineup, 5th or 6th.

[klaiggeb]

Apr 6, 2024 0:12:21 GMT -5 Islandboagie said:

Boly- We are no longer chasing pitches over our heads and out of strike zones, We're having better at bats, And we are playing solid defense.

Boagie- Chapman struck out to end the game the other night by chasing a pitch 2 feet off the plate and in the dirt. The hitters that make up the meat of our lineup are basically all free swingers. I don't think we improved at all in the area of patience.

I do like Chapman's defense, I think that's really the only place we made a noticeable improvement on the defensive end.

But I'm going to walk my original comments back, and say it's really too early to tell if this is a good team, or not. But what I've seen so far, I'm not overally optimistic.

There are going to be times when we chase out of the zone

But from what I've seen This year this team out of the zone, about 80% less than last Year

That is a huge positive

[klaiggeb]

Apr 6, 2024 0:24:43 GMT -5 Islandboagie said:

Reed- I'm kind of mixed. I liked the additions of Lee, Chapman, and Hicks. Did not like adding Ahmed and Soler. Snell is maybe. It might well be addition by subtraction by getting rid of Kapler, Kai Correa, Joc, Stripling, and Wood.

Boagie- I'm with you on Hicks and Lee. Hicks has impressed me the most so far.

To me, Chapman is also a maybe. Love his defense, but his offense has dipped significantly over the last few seasons, and now he's in one of the best pitching ballparks.

I like Soler as DH, but I'd prefer him hitting a little lower in the lineup, 5th or 6th.

Before we got matt chapman I was complaining that he had regressed the last couple of seasons

I have also posted that I do not like solare batting up in the line up

I want to see him in the four or five hole not the three hole

When you look up matt chapman's record it is low average high power

That is just who he is

He has no business hitting four or five hole

I would rather see him six or seven

So basically we agree

[reedonly]

We expected Chapman to be about JD production but his attitude and defense are the big additions, more so than mercenary Longoria who just collected his paycheck and never seemed invested in being in SF.  Dude seemed more concerned about golf tee times at Pebble than dealing with his injuries. 

[reedonly]

Apr 6, 2024 0:12:21 GMT -5 Islandboagie said:

Boly- We are no longer chasing pitches over our heads and out of strike zones, We're having better at bats, And we are playing solid defense.

Boagie- Chapman struck out to end the game the other night by chasing a pitch 2 feet off the plate and in the dirt. The hitters that make up the meat of our lineup are basically all free swingers. I don't think we improved at all in the area of patience.

I do like Chapman's defense, I think that's really the only place we made a noticeable improvement on the defensive end.

But I'm going to walk my original comments back, and say it's really too early to tell if this is a good team, or not. But what I've seen so far, I'm not overally optimistic.

This could be a 90 win team if everything breaks right, 80 win if not.  A lot depends on how fast Melvin sorts out the bullpen, the platoon pieces, and also the injuries.  So far, injuries seem to be a bit less, maybe Kapler was the problem. Don't underestimate the damage Kapler did.  I estimate he could have made the difference in about four to five games at minimum.  We are talking borderline playoffs, then.  In a few weeks, we shall see who has played themselves off of the team and they can start promoting the youngsters. 

[klaiggeb]

Apr 6, 2024 9:53:28 GMT -5 reedonly said:

We expected Chapman to be about JD production but his attitude and defense are the big additions, more so than mercenary Longoria who just collected his paycheck and never seemed invested in being in SF.  Dude seemed more concerned about golf tee times at Pebble than dealing with his injuries. 

Actually, Reed, I expect a LOT more than we ever would have gotten out of JD.

We should get around 22-25 HRs from the guy and as we have seen tremendous defense.